UFC on FOX 20: Holm vs Shevchenko Date: July 23, 2016 Arena: United Center City: Chicago, IL The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to the United Center in Chicago, IL this Saturday (July 23, 2016) with UFC on FOX 20: Holm vs Shevchenko. The action packed 12-fight card is set to kick on UFC Fight Pass at 4pm ET with some preliminary match-ups, and they will keep going on FOX Sports 1 at 6pm ET, with the main card getting underway at 8pm ET on FOX. If interested in wagering on this parlay, or any bouts for this fight card, all betting lines are currently made available at Several Bookmakerss. Here is my parlay: Heavyweight bout: Francis Ngannou (-650) vs Bojan Mihajlovic (+475) Gabe’s Thoughts: Mihajlovic was scheduled to face Ngannou previously but got injured and ended up getting replaced by Curtis Blaydes, who Ngannou defeated via TKO (doctor stoppage) after two rounds of action. Both men are healthy in this razor thin heavyweight division in the UFC, so the promotion has re-booked this fight and it is about to go down this Saturday night in Chicago. I believe Ngannou will dominate this fight and likely finish the Serbian inside of the first round. I don’t think Mihajlovic can take too many shots from Ngannou; in fact, just one could prove to be too much. I won’t be surprised to see the ref step in and waive the fight just seconds after the opening bell. I think Ngannou should be a -1300 betting favorite here, so I think he is worth playing at his current heavily juiced offering price of -650. Usually with heavyweights, there is the risk of a flukey one-punch knockout type of scenario; however, with these two, I don’t think Mihajlovic stands much of a chance of putting Ngannou’s lights out, much less hurting him. Gabe’s Call: Ngannou by T/KO (punch, 0:14 round 1) Women’s Strawweight bout: Felice Herrig (+100) vs Kailin Curran (-120) Gabe’s Thoughts: I do agree with the betting odds in that this is a very close fight in the UFC’s 115-division and I expect these ladies to leave it all inside the Octagon when they square off this Saturday night at the United Center in Chi town. That said, I think Curran should be a -160 betting favorite, so I see a little value in her at her current offering price of -120. I think Curran has the brighter future in the sport, and if this was three years from now, I would say she handily defeats Herrig. However, where they both are currently in their careers, I think they match up fairly even. It is possible that Curran could have already started getting ahead of Herrig, but at this point, I would expect her to only be slightly better. Herrig has arguably hit her ceiling as a fighter, whereas Curran continues to improve at a rapid pace. As long as she avoids making a mental error, she should be able to best Herrig over the course of three rounds to get handed a decision win from the judges’ at Octagon-side. Gabe’s Call: Curran by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Gabe’s Recommended Parlay: Ngannou (-650) and Curran (-120) at +111 for 1.75u to win 1.95u
